All That Jazz on Saturday
This Saturday, June 14, the Nantucket High School auditorium will swagger and swing with tunes in the tradition of Duke Ellington when the NCMC/Nantucket School of Music presents The Duke's Men in a concert to benefit its educational programs and scholarship fund.
Composer, arranger, and gifted pianist Duke Ellington helped to craft the American music of the twentieth century, building from jazz in the 1920s through swing in the '30s and the big band sounds to follow. During the last year of his stellar career, his august Duke Ellington Orchestra, which had been the house band of the Cotton Club in the late 1920s, was joined by young trombonist Arthur Baron.
A bandleader now himself, Art Baron carries on the tradition of his early mentor through the 8-piece band, The Duke's Men, which often includes other Ellington alumni. The band formed in the early 1980s, when the Duke Ellington Society brought together Ellington alumni with other musicians for the Greenwich Village Jazz Festival. The New York Times has described the Duke's Men as "an invigorating mixture of Ellington coloration with fresh approach and adventurous repertoire," and The Village Voice described them as "a first class jazz ensemble" that "conveys the punch, spirit and finesse of Ellington."
In addition to other jazz greats, such as Cab Calloway and Buddy Rich, Art Baron has performed and recorded with Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Taj Mahal, and Bruce Springsteen, and he has appeared as a soloist on "A Prairie Home Companion."
The Nantucket School of Music's eight-year tradition of presenting unique musical productions on Nantucket has included a sell-out World War II tribute and visits by the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club and the Artie Shaw Orchestra.
Art Baron and the Duke's Men will perform at Nantucket High School Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2008. There are two levels of open-seating for Saturday’s concert, general admission tickets at $35 and $25, as well as reserved optimum seating for $50. Students' tickets are $10. Tickets are available at Dan's Pharmacy, Mitchell's Book Corner, and the music office at 11 Centre Street weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or by phone at 508-228-3352.
